Rail-joint.



PATENTED MAY 31, 1 04.

.11. SPRINGER. RAIL JOINT.

APPLIOATION I'ILED FEB. 4. 1904.

no MODEL. 4

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THE NORRIS PETERS 5:0, PHO

UNITED STATES Patented May 31, 1904. l

PATENT OFFICE.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 761,423, dated May 31,1904.

I 7 Application filed February 4,1904. SerialNo. 192,055. (No model.)

To on whom it may concern: 7 Be it known that LRIOHARD SPRINGER, acitizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, county I ofPhiladelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented acertain new anduseful Improvement in Rail-Joints, of which 7 the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in railroad-railjoints, and has for its object to provide a rail-joint which will jointhe ends of the rails together without the use of bolts, and the jointis so constructed that it may be easily and quickly attached or removedfrom the rails when desired; but when the joint is in place it will holdthe rails securely in alinement, and as it extends underneath the railswill support the ends of the rails, so as to prevent one rail fromsagging below the other and causing any unevenness of the rail at thejoints. 7

With these ends in view this invention consists in the details ofconstructionand combination of elements hereinafter set forth and thenspecifically designated by the'claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention'appertains may understand how to make and use the same, theconstruction and operation will now be described in detail, referring tothe'aceompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification, in whichFigure 1' is a side elevation of the ends of two rails joined togetherby my improved joint; Fig. 2, a plan view of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a sectiontaken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a perspective view of one ofthe wedges; Fig. 5, a perspective view of the slide for looking all theparts in place. T

A represents the rails.

B represents the body portion of the joint, which is adapted to fitagainst the web of the rail upon one side, extend downward over theflange of the rail upon that side, and then underneath the rail to theopposite side.

0 is the movable or separate portion of the joint which fits inunderneath the head of the rail and extends downward over the. flange ofthe rail upon that side and is provided with downwardly-extendingprojections or lugs C, which fit into slots formed through the portionB, which portion is the body of the joint which extends underneath therail. The vertical portion of the movable sectionC ofthe joint doesnotfit against the web of the rail, but is removed some distancetherefrom, so as to leave a longitudinal passage between said verticalportion and the web of the rail,

and in this passage are adapted to fit from,

each end of the joint the wedges D. The beveled surfaces of these wedgesare oppositely disposed toward each other, so that when the wedges areinserted in the passage from each end the beveled surfaces will comeincontact with each other, and as the wedges are driven in place onewedge will be forced upward, while the other is forced downward. Themovable section O of the joint is provided with a longitudinal lip Gwhich extends inward to the web of the rail directly over the flange ofthe rail, and as the upper end of the vertical portion of the movablesection C does not extend into the web of the rail it will be seen thatthe wedges D, one being forced into contact with the head .of the railand the other with the lip C will hold the movable portion C in placetightly against the flange of the rail.- Thus the movable portion cannotbe removed, as the lugs C, fitting into the.

slots, prevent the same from being moved outwardly horizontally, andtherefore this movable portion 0 must be first tilted outward, so astobe clear of the head of the rail, and then liftedupward vertically outof the slots. Thus when the wedges D are in place this movable section Cis bound tightly to the rail. Set-screws or other devices E may be usedfor holding the wedges against accidental displacement. n i

F is a lock, which may or may not be used in connection with the joint.Thislock is provided with a shank G, adapted to extend through a lateralslot provided throughthe portion B of the body of the joint, andconnected to this shank is an overhanging lip H, adapted to pass overthe horizontal portion of the movable section (1. The end-of the shankis provided with an opening Gr, formed therethrough and adapted toregister with an opening formed through a lug B formed with the bodyportion B, and through these two openings may be passed a bolt orpadlock, if desired. Thus even if the wedges are removed the movablesection 0 cannot be removed until the lock F is removed.

Ofeourse I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction hereshown, asslight modifications could be made without departing from thespirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and usefulis 1. In a rail-joint, a body portion adapted to overlap the ends of tworails and contact the web upon one side, the top of the flange upon oneside, and extend underneath the flange and a distance beyond the flangeupon the opposite side, a movable section consisting of a verticalportion lying underneath the head of the rail but removed a distancefrom the web so as to leave a longitudinal passage between the same andthe web, said movable section extending over the flange upon that side,lugs formed with the movable section adapted to fit into slots providedthrough the portion extending underneath the rail, a longitudinal lipformed with the movable section and extending inward to the web of therail underneath the longitudinal passage, and two wedges adapted to bedriven into the longitudinal passage from opposite ends of the joint,the beveled surfaces upon said wedge being oppositely disposed towardone another so that one wedge will ride up upon the other, as and forthe purpose specified.

2. In a rail-joint, a body portion contacting the web, the flange of therails upon one side and extending underneath the rails and a distancebeyond upon the opposite side, a movable section arranged upon theopposite side of the rails, the vertical portion of said movable sectionbeing removed a distance from the web of the rail so as to leave alongitudinal passage therebetween, said movable section provided with alongitudinal lip extending into the web of the rail underneath thepassage and contacting the flange of the rail upon its lower side, lugsprovided upon the movable section adapted to fit into vertical slotsprovided through the body portion extending underneath the rails, wedgesadapted to be driven into the vertical passage from opposite ends, thebeveled surfaces ofsaid wedges being oppositely disposed so that whendriven together one wedge will be forced against the heads of the railsand the other downward against the longitudinal lip of the movablesection, means for holding said wedges against accidental displacement,a lock provided with a shank adapted to extend through a lateral slotprovided through the body portion extending underneath the rails, anoverhanging lip formed with a shank adapted to lie above the horizontalportion of the movable section when the lock is in place, the outer endof the shank adapted to extend beyond the joint, a lug extending outwardfrom the body portion, the outer end of the shank and said lug providedwith openings adapted to register with one another through which a boltor padlock could be passed, as and for the purpose specilied.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto atfixed my signature in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

RICHARD SPRIN (1 ER.

Witnesses:

FREDERICK I-I'Essu, JOSEPH GRATHER.

